Looking Backward
The north
10 years ago
Dec. 13, 1999:The St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators isn't likely to join the state next year in eliminating the sales tax on clothing items costing less than $110. Only Legislator Richard F. Wilson, R-Ogdensburg, has shown clear support for dropping the tax. Estimates vary on how much the county would lose if it repealed its clothing tax.
25 years ago
Dec. 13, 1984:A ship that damaged its hull took on water one mile west of Bartlett Point, near Clayton, but the pilot was able to steer the rig out of the St. Lawrence Seaway's main channel. The 404-foot Akranes ran into Granite State Shoal, slicing a 25-foot long, 2- to 6-inch-wide gash on the starboard side. The shoal is on the west end of Wellesley Island near Rock Island.
50 years ago
Dec. 13, 1959:Julian J. Reiss, 60, Lake Placid businessman and civic leader who played Santa Claus to thousands of needy children throughout the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, died at his home. Mr. Reiss was the founder of Santa's Workshop at the North Pole, a children's attraction at the foot of Whiteface Mountain.
75 years ago
Dec. 13, 1934:Christmas business is unusually good here this year. It is better than it has been since before the 1930 season, local merchants declare. Businessmen in almost every line find sales brisker. During the past week especially large numbers of out-of-town shoppers have purchased their gifts at local establishments.
100 years ago
Dec. 13, 1909:The residence of T.J. Acheson, Main Street, Philadelphia, was badly damaged by fire. As none of the family was home, the fire gained considerable headway before it was noticed. Nearly all the furniture was saved in fairly good condition and was carried to a place of safety by neighbors.
125 years ago
Dec. 13, 1884:Prof. F.F. Billings will give an exhibition of trick and fancy skating at the Empire rink Monday night. The professor is said to be "great."
The world
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Today is Sunday, Dec. 13,the 347th day of 2009. There are 18 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Dec. 13, 1862, Union forces suffered a major defeat to the Confederates in the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg.
On this date:
In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson arrived in France, becoming the first chief executive to visit Europe while in office.
In 1981, authorities in Poland imposed martial law in a crackdown on the Solidarity labor movement. (Martial law formally ended in 1983.)
In 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces while hiding in a hole at a farmhouse in Adwar, Iraq, near his hometown of Tikrit.
Ten years ago:A group of U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service detainees, mostly Cubans, took the warden of the St. Martin Parish Jail in Louisiana and three guards hostage, demanding freedom. (Two hostages were released as two detainees surrendered on Dec. 15; the remaining hostage-takers surrendered Dec. 18.)
Five years ago:A jury in Redwood City, Calif., recommended the death penalty for Scott Peterson for the murders of his wife and unborn child.
One year ago:The White House weighed its options for preventing a collapse of the troubled U.S. auto industry. Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy after guiding the highest-scoring team in major college football history to the national championship game.
Today's Birthdays:Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz is 89. Actor-comedian Dick Van Dyke is 84. Actor Christopher Plummer is 80. Country singer Buck White is 79. Music/film producer Lou Adler is 76. Rock musician Ted Nugent is 61. Actor Robert Lindsay is 60. Country singer-musician Randy Owen is 60. Actress Wendie Malick is 59. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is 59. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is 56. Country singer John Anderson is 55. Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert is 55. Singer-actor Morris Day is 53. Actor Steve Buscemi is 52. Actor Johnny Whitaker is 50. Actor-comedian Jamie Foxx is 42. Actor Bart Johnson is 39. TV personality Debbie Matenopoulos is 35. Rock singer-musician Thomas Delonge is 34. Actor James Kyson Lee is 34. Actress Chelsea Hertford is 28. Rock singer Amy Lee (Evanescence) is 28. Country singer Taylor Swift is 20.
Thought for Today:"A society in which men recognize no check upon their freedom soon becomes a society where freedom is the possession of only a savage few." — Judge Learned Hand, American jurist (1872-1961).
